The Quickest Makeup Look Ever

Shimmery neutral eyeshadows should be staples in every makeup bag.  They're ridiculously simple to apply, difficult to mess up, and a super quick way to look effortlessly pulled together.  I swear it takes less than three minutes to finish both eyes.  I like to pair it with red lipstick (naturally!) but any lip color will work!  That's the beauty of neutrals, right?

My eyeshadow looks uneven in this picture, but I assure you it's not. Mad photography skillz here!

Also pictured: ukulele!

Eyes:
Sephora Atomic Lash mascara in Ultra Black
In Color FabuLiner black liquid eyeliner
NYX eyebrow pencil in Velvet
Urban Decay eyeshadow in Sin all over lid
Urban Decay eyeshadow in Smog blended in crease
They're from the Urban Ammo eye palette, which is one of my favorites and has shades for a zillion different looks.  Unfortunately mine doesn't look so pristine anymore!  But I use it for everything.  The only color I'm not too fond of is Mildew; the rest are wonderful. 

I applied the eyeshadow with E.L.F. brushes.  If you don't own these, you need to!  They're between $1-$3 and the most fabulous bargain ever ever ever.  I'm addicted.  My favorite is the Defining Eye brush.  I use it for everything and have bought several.  They're only a dollar!

Face:
Peter Thomas Roth Unwrinkle concealer in Light Medium
Guerlain Meteorites powder in Mythic
NARS powder blush in Orgasm

Lips:
Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick in Passion

Yeah, I really love that blush!

What are your favorite neutral eyeshadows or palettes?  And how do you feel about this sort of post?  Would you like me to do more of them?  Let me know what you think!

The Science of Skincare: Why Chirality Matters

We've all been there.  We've all bought some expensive, miracle skincare product or another, only to realize that it just doesn't work.  Even after several months of use!  I just experienced this with an eye cream I had such high expectations for, only to be let down when, four months later, my undereye circles are still as dark as they ever were!  Frustrating, isn't it?  Even if 96% of people in clinical trials saw an improvement, there's still a chance you're part of the other 4%, right?  It's possible. Science offers up another explanation, too: chiral isomers.

The word chiral (ky-rahl, rhymes with spiral) instantly brings to mind the miserable summer I spent studying organic chemistry.  If I'd realized back then how it was relevant to skincare, I probably would have paid more attention!  Anyway, the gist of chirality is this: molecules exist in two forms, a D-isomer and an L-isomer.  It's a similar concept to having left and right hands.  Our bodies are naturally more receptive to L-isomer forms of molecules.  When we encounter incompatible D-isomers, our bodies interpret it as waste or a toxin.
     

via

What does this mean in regards to skincare?  Ascorbic acid (AKA Vitamin C, a popular antioxidant) makes a great example.  A skincare product that contains an isolated L-ascorbic acid isomer is going to be more effective than a product containing isolated D-ascorbic acid.  The sad truth is, a lot of skincare companies aren't particularly concerned with which isomers they isolate in their products.  This isn't to say that all products from such companies are completely worthless (a moisturizer or cleanser is pretty straightforward), but if you have a skin issue you're extremely concerned about and nothing else is working, you might want to check out companies that are committed to making chirally correct products (i.e., products with the more effective L-isomers).  The downside is that they're probably going to be a little more expensive in most cases, since the isolation process is more complicated.   

Some of these skincare companies include CosMedix, Sircuit Skin, PCA Skin, and Arcona.  I've been hearing a lot about Arcona lately, I'm really intrigued by this company in particular.  They use all-natural ingredients and their products sound absolutely lovely.  They suggest five basic products based on your skin type and have a hydrating gel called Magic White Ice!  I'm also interested in the Wine Hydrating Mask.

 

Have you ever tried skincare products from any of these companies?  I'd love to hear about it, especially Arcona!  Also, if you've got a great eye cream recommendation to fade dark undereye circles, send it my way!

Vintage Beauty, Rainbow Eyeshadow, and Herbal Eye Treatments

Our electricity is back!  Hurrah!  I'm so excited, I couldn't help but post twice in one day (lucky you)!  I've spent the time (re)reading Neil Gaiman's creepy short stories by candlelight, learning the hard way that car cell phone chargers will reduce your car's battery power to nothing (whoops...), discovering I'm really excellent at playing dominoes, and helping out a friend whose house was damaged.  In addition to all that, here are a few bits and pieces of what I've been up to, beauty-wise.


Vintage makeup talks with my grandmother
I stayed at my grandmother's house for the whole ordeal; she's excellent company, plus she has a gas powered water heater and therefore hot showers!  In one of her bathroom drawers, I was surprised to find this:

Can you tell what it is?  This is how mascara used to be applied, with a little brush like that!  The product came in a solid cake form like this one from Maybelline, and also in a tiny squeeze tube like eyelash glue or toothpaste.  My grandmother told me the squeeze tubes were awful, and the brush was also perfect for eyebrows.  Isn't this crazy?  I was amazed!


Eyeshadow experiments
A few weeks ago I found a "rainbow eye" tutorial and decided I needed to try it for myself.  I love playing with colored eyeshadow, even though I rarely wear it in public since it usually clashes with my beloved red lipstick!  In any case, I wanted a rainbow spectrum of crazy eyeshadows without committing to a full size product.

I also recently discovered Shiro cosmetics, an indie makeup company geared to girls with "geeky" interests, like video games and Internet culture.  When I saw ten eyeshadow samples for $9 in Shiro's Etsy shop, I ordered up a rainbow of shades to try, plus some really pretty shimmery shades.  Experimenting with them has been sooo fun.  Some are even lip safe, so I got to alarm my family with purple and orange lipsticks.  Shiro really deserves its own blog post, so I'll save swatches and more details for later!


Herbal eye treatments
I'll be honest: I don't really like spring.  At least not where I live.  The weather and temperatures are volatile and unpredictable, and everything starts to bloom.  It's pretty, but it also means allergies are in full swing.  It's hard to enjoy the beautiful trees through swollen eyes and migraines, you know?   

I've relied on Wei East's Intensive Herbal Eye Treatments for years to get me through!  I can't believe I've never mentioned them here before.

Two refreshing herbal eye pads come sealed up in a nice little packet that's perfect for travel.  You place them over your eyes for twenty minutes, and before you know it, your eyes are bright again and your migraine has diminished!  I swear, this is a miracle treatment.  It's also wonderful for tired eyes, or when you can't seem to fall asleep at night.  The pads are soaked with green tea, Tibetan chrysanthemum, and peppermint extracts that make for an amazing combination of soothing relief.